


Broken String

by ladyc2



Category: Kanjani8 (Band)
Genre: AU, Fairy Tale Elements, M/M, Nothing explicit, Slight hint of torture/abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-11
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-07-23 01:36:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7461459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyc2/pseuds/ladyc2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The new music shop's owner has a strange tale to tell of Prince's and curses. Yasu is intrigued.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken String

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the ryo_short exchange on livejournal

Yasu walked among the racks of clothing, pausing occasionally to pull an item off and inspect it more closely. _Too plain, the wrong sort of print, not his size_. He was starting to wonder if he shouldn't just give up for the day. Behind him, Subaru trailed after, nattering on about the new music store that had just opened nearby. The verdict was apparently positive although that wasn't a hard bar to hurdle considering the only other option in town. Still it was nice to hear that this new guy really did seem to enjoy and care about music. 

"...totally your type."

Yasu went on, ignoring the opening Subaru had left. Subaru thought _everyone_ was his type, despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. He half contemplated whether he should just give up on that front too, but he was an optimist by nature and so he vowed not to get too down about his lack of a love life. _Someday his Prince would come_. He laughed to himself at such a cheesy thought. 

"What's so funny," Subaru asked.

Yasu shook his head. It was one thing being a hopeless romantic sap, it was another thing entirely to admit it out loud (even if Subaru probably knew anyway). Instead he murmured a non-committal response that he would check the shop (and its owner) out. He _did_ need some new guitar strings.

\---

The store was surprisingly open and spacious, with little areas set up where you could actually try all the instruments out. The guitar section was especially well organised and Yasu guessed that was the instrument Nishikido, the erstwhile owner, most preferred. As to the owner himself, well, he was very good-looking - hot even. But, in addition to Subaru's favourable testament, he'd heard other reports that made him sound, well, a little mean.

Yasu eyed him out of the corner of his eye as he inspected an acoustic guitar of a type that he couldn’t actually afford but had always wanted. He hadn't seen any signs of him being rude yet, but he hadn't interacted with many customers either.

There were a number of people wandering around the shop, including a number of families. A little girl, dressed in a Princess outfit, approached NIshikido. She pointed at a guitar locked in a glass case mounted behind the counter.

"Why is that guitar in a box?" she asked. 

Nishikido looked from the little girl to the box and back again. Yasu unconsciously held his breath. Nishikido crouched down so he was on level with the child.

"Well, it's a very special guitar." Nishikido smiled and lowered his voice a little. Thankfully, Yasu was standing close enough that he still overheard. "It belongs to a Prince." 

The little girl's eyes went wide. "A Prince!" she exclaimed out loud. That drew a few more eyes. 

Nishikido nodded. "Mmmm," he murmured in agreement, "But it's cursed."

"Cursed?" the girl cried in dismay. Nishikido had the girl in the palm of his hand by now. A few other kids started wandering over.

"The Kingdom the Prince lived in was a wonderful, beautiful place but the Exiled Tribes to the North were intensely jealous. One day a fairy came to warn the Prince that they were planning an invasion. The Prince of the Kingdom was arrogant and rude and he dismissed the fairy's warnings. The fairy decided to teach the Prince a lesson. Since he wanted to act so heartlessly, the fairy plucked out the Prince's heart strings one by one, and transplanted them to the strings on his favourite guitar. Without his heartstrings, the Prince will never be able to know love again. He left the Kingdom in disgrace."

"Is there any way to break the curse?" A young teen in the crowd asked. 

"The guitar hasn't been in tune since the heartstrings were placed on it; so it's rumoured that only the Prince's True Love will be able to tune the guitar and break the spell." There were murmurings amongst the kids, and not a few of the adults at this piece of information. Yasu thought it was a lovely story and such a nice thing to do for the little girl. He was pleased to see other people felt similarly.

"Are you the Prince?" the little girl asked. She had stars in her eyes as she gazed up at him.

Nishikido ruffled the girl's hair as he stood, but didn't answer the question. He suddenly seemed to realise just how many people were listening to his story and an embarrassed flush crossed his features. Yasu felt something stir within him. Maybe Subaru was right after all. 

Still he didn't want to embarrass the other man further, so he refrained from saying anything as he went to the counter and purchased his strings.

\----

Yasu sat at the counter of his favourite bar with his friends surrounding him. It was set on the beachfront and Yasu thought the sound of the waves crashing against the shore made for a lovely relaxing counterpoint to the conviviality of the patrons. Nishikido's fairy tale was the talk of the town by this time and Yasu sipped his beer as he listened to his friends intently discussing it.

"It doesn't make any sense." Maru was postulating. "He should have the guitar out so everyone can have a go at tuning it. How is his True Love supposed to get their hands on it if it's locked away?"

Hina whacked Maru over the head. "It's a marketing ploy. There is no True Love." He made air quotes as he emphasised True Love.

"Besides," Subaru butted in, "would you really want random strangers to be plucking on your heartstrings. Shit would probably hurt."

"Is _anybody_ listening to me?" Hina said again. "Marketing ploy."

"Yep, and having it out only works until the first person who can tune a guitar comes along. Then what happens - he has to marry them, or just admit he was screwing with everyone the whole time." Yoko took a swig of beer. "Better to just keep it locked away and let the gullible customers flock in."

"Yasu," Maru whined, clutching his arm pleadingly. "Back me up on this."

"More like tell him how delusional he's being." Hina offered instead.

Yasu looked between the two of them unsure of what to say. He didn't think it was a cynical marketing ploy on Nishikido's part but it couldn’t possibly be true either. It was just a nice story for the little girl.

Subaru clapped him on the shoulder, saving him from having to answer, and gestured towards the doorway. "Why don't we ask the man himself?"

Yasu looked up to see Nishikido entering the bar. He spotted Subaru, who was waving him over, and approached. Yasu thought he looked nervous. 

"Thanks for inviting me," he addressed Subaru as he reached them. Yasu smiled warmly and shook Ryo's hand as introductions were made, while at the same time trying to glare at Subaru. He didn't need his friend trying to match-make, which from the way Subaru was trying to sit Ryo on the stool next to him, was very likely what he had in mind.

\---

With everyone giving Ryo the third degree inside, Yasu had slipped away and onto the beach proper. Yasu found himself playing with the sand underneath his fingers, forming it into little mounds or drawing pictures in it as he watched the waves. It was very soothing. After a while a body dropped down beside him onto the sand. He looked across to see Ryo.

"Sorry." Ryo apologised for intruding, "It was getting a little intense in there."

Yasu felt the need to defend his friends a little. "They can come on strong sometimes, but they're great guys."

"Yeah," Ryo acknowledged. "I'm just not really great at meeting new people."

"Because your heart's locked away?" Yasu teased.

Ryo bit his lip, and turned his head so he was looking out over the ocean. "Yeah." he sighed.

Yasu cocked his head at Ryo's reply. It was oddly melancholic. They lapsed into silence, Yasu pondering the man next to him. Shy and sweet, but Yasu couldn't dismiss the tales of him being rude either, even if he hadn't seen it himself yet. An arrogant and rude Prince trying to do better. Could Ryo's fairy tale be a metaphor for his life, or a past relationship that went badly?

"Do you surf?" Ryo asked suddenly breaking Yasu out of his contemplations.

"Not really, why?"

"Nothing." Ryo tried to wave away the question. "I was just thinking of going out tomorrow. It'd be nice to have some company." He finished with a shy mumble that Yasu found himself thinking was really adorable. 

"You could teach me," Yasu found himself saying and he couldn't deny the way his heart flip-flopped a little when Ryo broke into a smile at his words. He hoped it didn't show in his reaction, but to cover he motioned to the bar. "We should probably get back in there before they come looking for us."

Ryo nodded in agreement and they both stood, brushing sand out of their clothes before heading back up to the bar. Yasu ignored Subaru's knowing smile as they re-joined the others.

\----

Yasu met Ryo early the next morning. He'd arranged the night before to borrow a board off Yoko. He nervously watched as Ryo climbed out of his car and got his gear ready. Yasu hadn't been entirely honest with Ryo - he had surfed before, but not very often; he generally preferred scuba diving or snorkelling.

Ryo turned out to be a surprisingly patient teacher, clear with his instructions and encouraging at just the right times. He found himself not only enjoying the company but actually having fun with the activity too. As they packed up they agreed to another surfing date in a few days' time.

\---

"How's it going?" Subaru nudged him with his elbow and waggled his eyebrows suggestively in a way that left no doubt what he was talking about as they met for lunch a few weeks later.

Yasu shrugged, hiding behind the menu as he replied. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You seem to be spending a lot of time together, lately. I thought you hated surfing."

"I didn't hate it," he defended. He'd just never really gotten the point. Ryo's clear passion and enthusiasm for the sport was infectious though and Yasu found himself enjoying it in ways he hadn't really before. And they'd started doing other things together. Lunches and dinners, even a jam session or two at Ryo's store.

However, while Yasu was enjoying it, it was hard to get a read on exactly how Ryo was feeling about it. He was more relaxed around him now than at the start of their friendship and occasionally the way he acted made Yasu think there could be more on his side, but at the same time, he often seemed uncomfortable with Yasu touching him, hugging him or other intimate gestures. That didn't necessarily tell him anything though, not everyone was as comfortable with public displays of affection as he himself was, and it could just be shyness. He related all this to Subaru.

"Just kiss him already. That's the only way to know for sure." 

Yasu tried not to roll his eyes at the predictable advice from his friend.

"Or you could offer to tune his guitar." Subaru snickered. 

\---

Yasu walked up the path to Ryo's house. As he did he thought about Subaru's advice from the day before. Kissing Ryo out of nowhere wasn't really an option, but maybe he could be a little more, not confessing exactly, but more forward about where he was hoping their relationship was going. He knocked on the door and after a few minutes, Ryo answered looking flustered.

"Yasu!" He seemed surprised by Yasu's presence. "What are you doing here?"

Yasu was momentarily taken aback by Ryo's abruptness. "Uh, I thought maybe we could grab something to eat." He tried to keep his voice casual, but some of his nervousness must have made it through because Ryo was looking at him weirdly.

"Uh," he faltered, turning his head to look back inside his house a few times. Ryo was quite obviously dithering, and Yasu wondered if maybe he hadn't misread their interactions. 

A voice from further back in the house, called out. "Hey, Ryo." 

"In a minute," Ryo yelled back, before the other could finish what he was saying. The flustered look, the nervousness, the abruptness, all suddenly clicked in Yasu's head. _Right_ , he had been misreading. It was just friendship and Ryo already had somebody. 

"Oh, you have company." Yasu tried to smile in understanding but it wavered a little. "Sorry, maybe some other time." He turned and began quickly walking down the path. His need to be away counteracting his usual impulse to be polite. Plus, he didn't want Ryo to see his pain. It wasn't fair, he hadn't done anything wrong; he'd just wanted a friend. It was Yasu's mistake.

He was about halfway down the pathway when a hand on his arm stopped him. He looked back at Ryo. Ryo snatched his hand back.

"Actually, could you stick around? My friend is sick, but I need to go to store."

"Okay," Yasu regretted it almost as soon as he said it, but he couldn't resist Ryo's plea. He turned around and followed Ryo back into the house. He watched as Ryo grabbed his keys from a bowl on a side table near the door and raced back out again. _Wait. He wasn't going to introduce them?_

Yasu continued on down the hallway until it opened out into lounge room and dining area. He stepped around and came face to face with Ryo's friend. His long form, stretched out on the couch, Yasu could see immediately why Ryo would be with this guy. He was very attractive. The man looked up at him in curiosity.

"Hi, I'm Yasu. Ryo had to go to the store." Yasu introduced himself.

"And he doesn't trust me to look after myself," The man laughed, which halfway through changed to wincing.

"Are you alright?"

"Sure, just-," he paused. "It's just an intestinal blockage. The doctor's say it will be fine but I need to stay off my feet for a few weeks."

Yasu nodded although it was clear that the man was lying. Why he would lie was less clear, but it really wasn't any of Yasu's business so he didn't push it.

"Ohkura Tadayoshi." He smiled and then tilted his head cutely. "I don't suppose you know how to cook. I'm starving."

"Is it alright to eat with an intestinal blockage?" Yasu asked, not fully willing to just go along with the other man's whims.

"Uh," Ohkura stumbled for a second. "Soup is fine. Or rice porridge." He seemed satisfied that he'd come up with an answer. "Please," he pouted.

Yasu groaned but headed for the kitchen regardless.

\---

After Ohkura had eaten, they played cards for a while. Ohkura had an easy-going nature and a cheeky sense of humour and Yasu found himself relaxing and enjoying the company. Maybe things weren't so bad after all. His romantic hopes had been dashed, but perhaps he could make two new friends instead. 

Yasu studied his hand. He picked a card and laid it down on the table. 

"Your turn," he called. After a moment with nothing happening, Yasu looked up from his own cards and across to the other man. Ohkura was still sitting up but his eyes were closed and his hand that had been holding up the cards now hung limply at his side, a few of the cards spilling to the ground. _Was he asleep?_ He reached across the table and prodded at Ohkura's arm but got no reaction.

Putting his own cards on the coffee table, Yasu got up and moved around to Ohkura. He grabbed his shoulders and tried to manoeuvre the other into laying down on the couch. As he pulled up with the intention of grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch, he noticed Ohkura's shirt had ridden up a little and Yasu could just see the edges of what was obviously some very nasty bruising. He laid the blanket carefully on Ohkura and then stood there for a minute mulling over what he'd seen.

Ohkura's pain wasn't an intestinal blockage, though Yasu had pretty much known that already from the way he'd acted. He'd been attacked, beaten up, but by who? And that brought up a new worry - had Ryo gone out, not to the store, but to avenge his boyfriend. _What if he was hurt now too?_

Unfortunately, there wasn't a lot Yasu could do about it either way. He decided that since Ohkura was asleep he should go and wash the lunch dishes. It would give him something to do and maybe take his mind off things.

\---

Ryo finally returned about an hour later. Yasu had long since finished the dishes and was now quietly strumming an old guitar he'd found propped up in the corner of Ryo's living room. Yasu put the guitar down and stood, his gaze sweeping over the other man as he rose. Ryo didn't seem to be hurt, thank goodness. Then he put his finger to his lips and nodded his head toward the still sleeping Ohkura so that Ryo wouldn't accidently wake him.

Originally, before his current worries, when Ryo had said he was going to the store, Yasu had assumed he meant to the supermarket for food or maybe the pharmacy for drugs for his friend, but it turned out he must have meant the music shop because he was lugging the "cursed" guitar in its glass case behind him as he came further into the room.

They faced each other awkwardly, or at least that's how it felt to Yasu, for a few moments.

"Thanks for sticking around." Ryo rubbed the nape of his neck. "I appreciate it."

"No worries," Yasu replied. He had so many questions, but no opening to ask them without sounding nosy. "I should probably go then," he said eventually. Ryo hesitated a second, as if he wanted to say something, before he nodded agreement. "Do you mind if I use your bathroom first?" Yasu asked.

"Sure, it's down the hall on the right."

"Thanks." Yasu moved down the hallway. He did need to go, but truthfully, it was just as much an attempt to prolong his stay. For what reason he couldn't quite say. As he shut the door to the bathroom, he leaned back heavily against it, softly banging his head against the hard wood. _Come on, Yasu. Get a grip._

\---

On exiting the bathroom, Yasu could hear two voices. Ryo must have woken Ohkura up after all. Yasu slowed, eventually stopping right on the border between the hall and the main room where he could listen without being seen.

There was a noise of protest that sounded like Ohkura and then a hiss - definitely Ryo.

"Stop that," Ohkura whined.

"You idiot," Ryo scolded. To Yasu's ears he sounded mad but it didn't seem to be directed at Ohkura. "You should have just told them where I was."

_So Ryo was the target? What could that mean?_

"I'd never betray you," Ohkura answered, sombrely. "And I'm fine. I managed to get away. I'm only sorry I couldn't save your Dad too."

Ryo's voice was heavy as he replied. "I'm sure you did everything you could." 

"But we do need you Ryo. Hiro and his Tribe are practically at our doorstep and I don't think we can hold out much longer. With the King captured the people need someone to rally around. There's a reason they're looking for you – you’re the only one who has a chance to stop them."

"And what do you expect me to do about it, when I'm like this?" Frustration poured out of Ryo's voice. "How can I lead them? The people need someone with heart to face this threat. How can I expect anyone to rally around me when I don't have that to give them anymore?"

Yasu's brows furrowed in confusion. The way they were talking. _It was almost as if…, but that was ridiculous. It was just a story, wasn't it?_

"Are you sure about that?"

"What?" Now it was Ryo's turn for confusion. 

"That Yasu guy."

"What about him?"

"He seems pretty into you. And from the way you're blushing," Ohkura trailed off. Yasu held his breath.

"I'm not blushing. Shut up." Ryo replied. It sounded a little sulky. Yasu wished he was at an angle where he could see Ryo's face.

"It sounded like he could play, too." Ohkura suggested. _Play?_ It took Yasu a moment to figure out what Ohkura was talking about. Maybe he hadn't been as asleep as Yasu thought.

"I can't ask him to do that."

"Why no-?"

"I'll do it," Yasu said finally stepping into the room and cutting off Ohkura's question. Ryo whirled around, surprise on his features as if he'd totally forgotten that Yasu had still been here. Ohkura gave him a little grin and wave. Before anyone could say anything else, Yasu spoke again.

"Look, I don't entirely understand what's going on, but," Yasu gulped before continuing, "I like you and I'm willing, no, I want to try and tune your guitar." The other two stared at him in silence. It was starting to feel embarrassing. "If you'll let me," he added softly.

"Are you sure?" Ryo asked.

Yasu nodded and Ryo looked between him and Ohkura, before he finally sighed. "Okay then." He pulled a key out of his pocket and went over to the glass case, unlocking it and pulling out the guitar, he thrust it out towards Yasu.

Yasu took it gingerly, suddenly recalling Subaru's words from a few weeks ago about how plucking on somebody's heartstrings might cause pain.

"Will this, um, hurt you?"

"Not if it works," Ryo replied unreassuringly. 

Yasu looked over to Ohkura. "You wouldn't rather be doing this?" 

Ohkura shook his head, grinning. "Nah, I'm more of a drummer." He made drumming motions with his hands as if to emphasize the point.

Yasu took a deep breath and looked down focussing solely on the guitar and got to work. He'd always had a natural ear for tuning but in this case he wished he had a tuning fork. He didn't want to mess this up. He took his time, making sure each string was as right as he could get it and constantly double-checking as he went along. He didn't look at Ryo at all and tried to pay no heed to how the other man might be doing. He only looked up when he was finished.

"It's done," he announced.

"Do you feel any different?" Ohkura asked Ryo excitedly.

Ryo had his hand over his heart, but Yasu couldn't decipher the expression. "I don't know. Something happened I think, but it doesn't feel complete, not like before."

It hadn't worked, not fully. Yasu felt the disappointment seeping into him. Ohkura, however, looked enthusiastic still. He kicked at Yasu's foot. 

"Play something," he prompted.

A melody to prove that the tuning had worked actually made sense. He thought for a second and then decided to play a song he had composed himself. Nobody else had heard it yet, Yasu had felt it too personal to show others before, but now it seemed a perfect choice.

About a minute into the song, Ryo gasped loudly. Yasu stopped immediately and jumped to his feet. Ryo was hunched over in front of him. _Had it gone wrong?_ He shared a concerned look with Ohkura.

"Ryo, are you alright?" he asked carefully.

Ryo took a few deep breaths before straightening. Then his face split into the widest grin that Yasu had ever seen on him. It was like the sun coming out to shine after a rain spell.

"Yasu, you did it," Ryo exclaimed, closing the gap between them and engulfing Yasu into his arms. "I love you!" He pulled back a little and planted a big kiss right on Yasu's lips. 

Only slightly conscious that there was someone else in the room, Yasu replied with a small,   
"Me too." 

"Great, now that's sorted, we can go." Ohkura beamed at them.

"Go," Ryo repeated. He looked at Yasu, a frown marring his features. "Right, I have to go."

"Back to your Kingdom." It wasn't a question. Yasu knew that's what they were talking about earlier.

"It'll probably mean war. I can't let you risk that - not when you've already done so much for me."

That got Yasu's ire up. "You can't _let_ me?" He might be in love but that didn't mean his decision making was all on his partner now. "Isn't that my decision to make?" He laid a hand on Ryo's arm and softened his voice as he went on. "I want to be with you. No matter what."

Ohkura clapped his hands. "Great that's all settled then. Let's go."

"Wait!" Yasu cried out. "I need to pack first." This thought opened up a whole new list of questions in Yasu's mind. _What would he need? What clothes should he take? What was the climate like?_

"Where exactly is this place again?" Yasu felt the need to clarify.

Ryo and Ohkura exchanged a cagey sort of a look.

"Uh," Ryo eventually muttered. "Think of it like the wizard world in Harry Potter, or Oz from the Wizard of Oz. Or Wonderland from Alice in Wonderland."

Yasu held up a hand to stop Ryo from giving further examples. He got it, he thought. "We're not riding a tornado though, are we?" Yasu didn't think he had any tornado clothes.

Ryo laughed. "No," he reassured, "though it can get pretty bumpy."

The enormity of his choice settled on Yasu - a magic Kingdom, with fairies and war and who knew what else. Not that he wasn't determined to go - Ryo obviously needed to be there and Yasu hadn't lied when he'd said he wanted to be with Ryo no matter what. It seemed so surreal compared to his life of just this morning though. Would he ever be able to come back here? What about his friends? Subaru in particular, he would miss dearly.

Ryo must’ve read something of his thoughts in his expressions, for he took Yasu's hands in his.

"We can teach you how to travel between the two worlds. You can come back anytime you want. To visit," his hesitated slightly, "or to live again if that's what you want."

"Thanks," Yasu replied. That did make him feel better. But they'd wasted enough time on his insecurities, there was a Kingdom to defend, one without its Prince. He promised to meet back at the house within the hour; he figured he could pack a simple suitcase for now (with a quick call to Subaru that he and Ryo were together and going on a trip) and come back later to wrap up his affairs and say a proper goodbye if needed; and started heading out of the house.

"Oh and Yasu," Ryo called out, making Yasu pause. "One more thing before you go and pack."

"What?" Yasu asked in curiosity. 

"Just this," Ryo replied before swooping in and kissing Yasu again, this time much more thoroughly than earlier.


End file.
